Ruminations

Pick your moving companies carefully.

Moving can be expensive, so it's tempting to settle for whoever is the cheapest bidder.  This can really hurt you in the end, though.

For example, some companies will offer estimates that seem too good to be true -- but the actual cost will be quite a bit higher.  They may pack their truck way too loosely, for example, or charge for a lot of the unused space that's above your stuff.  Unfortunately, once your stuff is in their truck, arguing with them may be futile--especially if you're on a schedule.  After all, they can basically hold your stuff hostage, and they know full well that you probably don't have time to contract another company's services.

And there are a lot of crooked companies out there.  Consider the case of West Coast Movers, for example. Its owner, Eliyahu Sharvit (aka Eli Sharvit) was famously deported to his native Israel after he had been convicted of multiple cases of fraud in March 2004.  To quote one news report,

"Mr. Sharvit tried to defraud his customers out of thousands of dollars," said [Attorney General Bill] Lockyer. "He held their property hostage when they refused to pay more than they bargained for, and ultimately extorted thousands of dollars from them. Consumer ripoffs by bad actors in the moving industry are becoming more prevalent in California and across the country. To help protect consumers against this growing problem, we're going to seek criminal charges whenever appropriate."